Before I had ever heard of this documentary, I heard about this “deathmatch” David Arquette was part of. I’m a curious person, so I watched the video of him getting bashed with chairs, slammed on thumbtacks, and blistered with fluorescent light tubes. In that match, Arquette’s jugular vein was cut on the jagged edge of one of those broken lights and that was the attention-grabbing headline. Out of context, you can’t help but wonder about the set of circumstances that brought a once-promising Hollywood star to that point in his life. You Cannot Kill David Arquette does a great job filling in the blanks and telling a very delicate human story in the process.
Back in 2000, I was still watching professional wrestling on a semi-regular basis and I remember when Arquette won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship as part of a promotion for his movie “Ready to Rumble”. It was all part of a ploy for ratings as the promotion was still competing with the WWE at the time. The problem was that belt had a long history, a lot of prestige and legacy built into it, and wrestling fans didn’t take kindly to a Hollywood outsider belittling the title. Not long after the short-term ratings boost, WCW would be sold to Vince McMahon’s WWE. In many ways, WCW’s decision to put the belt on Arquette ultimately submarined the business.
The hate and vitriol that followed him, as a result, were unjust. Arquette wasn’t the creative mind behind the decision but he bore the brunt of the fans’ hatred and had his acting career dry up in the process. This documentary dives into his childhood, his mental and physical health, his relationship with his wife and children, and the myriad of things that motivated him to try his hand again at a business that didn’t seem to want him.
David Darg and Price James’ film is a story of redemption that sees a man drag himself through the gutter, filled with thumbtacks and broken glass, just to try and win the approval of a hardcore fanbase that despised him for two decades. Occasionally sad and painful to watch, it’s also funny and sweet than you might expect along the way. You ultimately get a heart-warming story about a man who’s trying desperately to right a wrong that he unjustly took the blame for.
Recommendation: Even if you don’t know the history or anything about the wrestling business, it’s a good watch.